1/16/10, Stamps, AR - We took the day off. Garry Rivers, our host, provided us with a nice place to camp and loaned us a pickup truck for the day. In the morning, Dee and I took the truck down to the Laundromat and took care of that chore. In the afternoon, we went into the city of Texarkana and stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we met up with John McComsey’s girlfriend’s daughter and son-in-law. Melissa and Dee Evans are kind enough to offer us a place in Texarkana, where we can put the horses up for a week. The horses are in need of a rest, and Dee and I have to travel to Mississippi next week for a couple of days.

In the evening we drove to Lewisville, where Garry owns a livestock auction house. All the livestock went for very low prices, especially the horses. It was a nice evening, and definitely a change from the normal wagon routine.

Lunch at the side of the road

We woke in the morning to a surprise. Sometime in the night, the horses knocked down the electric fence and were gone. I looked for tracks, but it was an hour before daylight and I couldn’t find a thing. I called Garry, who was already awake and he came outside. At this time, they wandered up the driveway and looked innocently at us, as if they were saying ‘what’s up’. This was a very easy ending to the escapades of the Equine Dillinger Gang.

Doc, doing his part for the view at lunchtime.

1/17/10, Garland, AR - Today was very pleasant, with temperatures warming up to the mid sixties. I drove the two Belgians, and we knocked off about 17 miles before calling it quits for the day. When we did a recon of the route yesterday, we saw that there were very few places to camp along the way to Texarkana. So, we were prepared for a primitive camp tonight.

Crossing the Red River

It was a beautiful day, and we drove most of the way through light traffic, with the windows open and a spring-like breeze blowing through the front of the wagon.

Camped alongside the road

We’re camped tonight at a wide piece of state right-of-way. Because of the close proximity to the highway, and remembering their performance last night, we have the horses tied to the wagon for the night. This is actually a nice camping spot. There is a large herd of Longhorn cattle in the pasture next to us and we are some distance from the road. There is also several pools of fresh water from yesterday’s rain, so watering the team is no problem.

This was a very superb day.

P.S. - I think the pressure got to John McComsey. He told me yesterday that Marylyn and him plan on hitching up the mules and joining up with us about April First. Thanks to everyone who applied a little E-mail persuasion - but then again, once you’re jaded by some wagon travel, you’re forever a gypsy at heart.